Exhausting and sealing machine



Sept. 6, 1932.

w. P. WHITE ET AL EXHAUSTING AND SEALING MACHINE Filed Oct. 1, 1928 2 Sheetg-Sheet 1 CZJ/g d I [065;

I igbbm Sept. 6, 1932. 'w. P. WHITE ET AL EXHAUSTING AND SEALING MACHINE Filed Oct. 1, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JforzZEfua Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM 1. WHITE, 01' CHICAGO, AND CLIFFORD E. IVES, OF WILMET'I'E, ILLINOIS, AS-

.SIGNORS TO WHITE CAP COMPANY, O

DELAWARE F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF EXHAUS'IING AND SEALING MACHINE L "Application filed October 1, '1928. Serial No. 809,540,

This invention relates to apparatus for the exhausting and sealing of packages or vessels, such as jars, tumblers and cans in which foodstuffs and the like are packed for the market.

The general object of the invention is to provide a machine of this kind which is of strong and durable construction, certain and safe inoperation, adaptable for use 011 packages of different sizes, and susceptible of rapid operation to obtain a large daily output.

N Another object is the provision of such a machine in which packages may be both 5 vacuumized or exhausted, and sealed,with

the assurance of both operations being accomplished fully.

/ Other and further objects will be pointed out or indicated hereinafter, or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the invention or its employment in practlcea In the accompanyingdrawings we illustrate one construction embodying the invention, but it is to be understood that this is here resented for illustrative purposes only, and t at it is not to be construed in any fashion calculated to limit the claims short of the true and most comprehensive scope of the invention in the art.

In said drawin s Fig. 1 is a sectlonal elevation of the machine taken from front to rear, the front being at the left hand of the figure;

Fig. 2 is a detail in the nature of a sectional elevation of the power iston taken at ri ht angles to the view in Fig. 1;

ig. 3 1s a rear elevational view of the 'machine with parts broken away to show internal portions;

Fig. 4 is a detail of the bell exhaust connections, same being in the nature of a art sectional elevation on approximately ine H of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 5 is a detail in the nature of a cross section of the bell taken on approximately line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The nature of the invention will be most quickly ascertained by reference to this illustrative'construction in detail. In the drawlatter is formed wit ings, the reference numeral 10 designates a supporting frame on which the machine and its driving motor 11 are mounted. Rigidly secured to this frame is a drive housing 12, 12 which affords mountings for bearings 14 in which are journaled a worm shaft 15 extending transversely of the machine, and aving driving connection with the motor 11 by means of the pinions 16. This housing also affords mountings for bearings 17 in which are journaled the cam shaft 18, extending longitudinally of the machine, and

having driving connection with the worm 15,

of the worm shaft 15 by means of worm pinion 19. The housing also affords mountmgs for the rocker arm journal 20 which is held stationary in said mountings by a set screw 21 and on which isjournaled the rocker sleeve 22 which carries an upwardly projecting arm 24 and a downwardly pro ecting arm.25 on which a roller 26 is ournaled. The frame also supports the table 27, and

below the same the c linder frame 28. The i a power cylinder 29 and a plunger cylinder 30, which extend vertically in parallel association and are in com munication at their lower ends through apassage 31 in the cylinder head or cover '32. A

power piston 34 is fitted for vertical reciproi cation 1n the power cylinder 29, and carries at its upper end an upwardly extending arm 35 in which is mounted a rearwardl projecting arbor 36 carrying a-roller' 37. 'itted for vertical reci rocation in the plunger cylinder 30 is a p un er 38 which extends up through a guide s eeve 39 of the cylinder frame and to a distance above the table 27. Secured to the plunger above the guide sleeve 7 39 is a collar 40 wh1ch forms a stop and rest for a sleeve 41 that is ri 'dly connected to the exhausting bell 42. his bell is open at the bottom and carries about its lower margin a gasket 44 of rubber or the like which is adapted to seaton the table 27 with a sealing fit when the bell is in its lowered position, as illustrated in Fi the bell 42 is provided with a radially extending pocket ortion 45, as best seen in Figs. 4 and 5, and at its bottom with a sleeve- 1. Adjacent its top,'

supporting projection 46 beneath said pocket socket member also has an internal socket 49 in which is secured, by a set screw 51, the reduced upper end portion 52 of the tubular sealing head plunger 52. Threaded in the tubular plunger 52 is the cylindrical shank 54" of the sealing head or anvil 54. Air tight packing 55 seals the space between the sleeve 48 and a tubular extension 49 of the socket member 49, and a coiled spring 56 is maintained in compression betweensaid packing and the peripheral flange of the socket member 49, tending to press the socket member and the parts carried there on upwardly to the limit imposed by the bushing 50. The rocker arm 24 carries at its upper end an arbor 57 on which is journaled the presser lever 58, which extends longitudinally of the machine and is normally retrained by a spring 59 to a position against a stop 60. This presser arm'carries at its forward end a foot portion 58 adapted for cooperation with the top of the extension 49 of the socket member, and at its rear end a foot member 58 adapted for cooperation with the upper surface of a cap member 59. This cap member slides in the upper end of a tube 60 which is fitted for vertical reciprocation in a sleeve 61 of the housing 12. The tube 60 has its walls thickened at its lower end to provide the lugs 60" which support an arbor 62 upon which a roller 64 is journaled, andthe top shoulders of said thickened portions 60 support a washer 65 upon which bears the lower end of a coiled spring 66, the upper end of which bears against a collar 67 that is secured on a bolt 68, the upper end of which is screw threaded in an internal bore of the cap 59, where it is held against rotation by straddling a pin 69. The bolt 68 has a head at its lower end which abuts the lower face of the washer 65, the washer being slidable on z is seen in Fig. 3. Upon rotation of cam shaft 18, therefore, power-piston cam 70 will cause the power piston 34 to reciprocate' This power piston carries within its body portion above its head a quantity of oil, and the porhydraulic bell-elevating mechanismds described in more detail in our copending application Serial No. 255,050, filed February 17, 1928. a

The cam shaft 18 carries also the rocker arm cam 71, the periphery of which cooperates with the roller 26 of the rocker arm. The contour of the rocker arm cam 71 is shown in Fig. 3, and from this it will be observed that by its cooperation with the rocker arm roller, the cam will swing the rocker arm leftwardly (to the right in Fig. 3 as indicated by the dotted position), so that the lever 58 will be clear of. the bell. This leftward movement of the rocker arm, of course, takes place just prior to the elevating move-' ment of the bell, and is against the tension of a spring 72 which is connected at one end with the arm 25 and at its other end with the casing 12, the pressure of said sprmg holding the roller 26 in contact with cam 71 and tending to swing the rocker arm. 24 to its vertical position.

The cam shaft 18 carries also the seallng cam 74, the margin of which rides on the sealing plunger roller 64. The contourpf sealing cam 74 is shown in Fig. 3, from whlch it is observed that the cam gives the roller a relatively quick upward movement and holds itelevated for only a short period. The elevating movement of roller 64 pushes the tubular plunger 60 upwardly, carrying the spring 66 with it. The upward pressure is transmitted through the spring to the collar 67 and from it to the bolt 68, so thatthe cap 59 is raised to contact the foot 58 of the sealing lever and swing the forward end of the latter downwardly into engagement with the projection '49 and press the socket member 49 and the parts carried thereby downwardly against the force of spring 56. Thus the sealing head 54 is moved downwardly into engagement with the cap of a vessel which'is in position on the table 27 and within the bell 42, and forces the closure cap to the seated or sealed position on the vessel. A type ofclosure cap which may thus be sealed on a vessel is illustrated'in U. S. patent to William -P. White, No. 1,590,787( \Vhen the: roller 64 rides off of the high part of cam 74, the plunger 60 is lowered by gravity and by the pressure of spring 59, the pressure lever 58-at the same time being raised at its prior to the time that the rocker arm 24 is swung laterally to clear the bell and to permit the elevating of the latter by the hydraulic mechanism above described.

Prior to the sealing operation and after the bell has been lowered into contact with the table 27, the bell is vacuumized or exhausted in order to exhaust air from the package therein and which is about to be sealed. The timing of this exhausting or vacuumizing operation is accomplished by the exhaust valve which comprises a stationary member 80 and a cooperating rotary member 81, the latter being carried by the cam shaft 18 and pressed into face contact with the member 80 by a spring 82. Valve member 80 is provided with ,two connection tappings, one at 80 to which the exhaust line 84 is connected and the other at 80 to which is connected a flexible tube 85, the other end of which is connected with the bell exhaust tube 47. The rotary valve member 81 is formed with an arcuate channel 81 which is adapted to ride over and make communication with the ports or tappings 80* and 80 and also a relief port or tapping 80 in the valve member 80. Consequently, as the member 81 rotates with the shaft 18, the tapping 80 will be placed in communication with the tapping 80 by way of the channel 81", and thereby tubes 85 and 47 will be put in communication with the vacuum line 84, and air exhausted from the bell byway of tube 47 and the pocket in the radial projection 45. This vacuum is held during the period of the sealing operation above described, and is then released when the channel 81 places the tapping 80 in communication with the relief tapping 80, through which latter atmospheric air enters channel 81 and bell 42 by way of tubes 85 and 47. The sealing head 54 is held down until the vacuum in bell 42 is thus relieved.

The cycle of operation of the machine, therefore, is approximately as follows: The bell 42 being in the elevated position, a suitable vessel or container with the cap loosely in place thereon, is positioned on the table 27 within the area of the bell 42. The bell is then lowered into sealing contact with the table and the rocker arm 24 is then swung to its vertical position. The vacuum is then drawn withinthe bell, and then the presser lever 58 is operated as above described, to seal the closure cap on the vessel. The vacuum is then relieved, and thereafter the presser arm 58 is dropped rearwardly and the sealing head 54 elevated. The rocker arm 24 isthen swung leftwardly, and thereafter the bell elevated, the sealed package is then removed from the table 27 and replaced with an unsealed package for the following cycle. If the bell shouldnot be fully lowered, as might occur if the package were not properly ,ositioned, it would be freed from the power of piston 34 by the opening of a valve 34, said opening against the pressure of the valve spring 34*, being induced by the suction below the head of the power piston 34 incident to the upward movement of the piston. This will permit oil to How from the interior of the piston head into the space below it, and

thus relieve the bell plunger 38 of the :torce resulting from the rising of the power piston.

With the bell remaining in the elevated position, the pressure lever 58 and rocker arm 24 will be arrested by lateral contact with the hell, but without any injury resulting to the parts, as such movement of the rocker arm is induced entirely by thespring 72, and is therefore under a yielding pressure which may be held at any point without injury to the mechanism. The means for restoring the quantity of oil below the power piston to the proper amount after such an occurence is fully illustrated and described in our copending application identified above. The valve 34 hasalso another function in the operation of the machine. It will be observed that the bell 42 reaches its lowered position in contact with table 27 just as power piston 34 reaches the end of its upward stroke. In

order to prevent the bell being subjected to.

excessive power from the power piston, and also to prevent its bein subjected to a cushioning or pouncing e ect which might occur if an amount of air were trapped below the head of the power piston, the valve 34 is opened just as the power piston reaches the end ofthe upward stroke, this being accomplished by a cam portion 85 carried on the periphery of the cam and arranged for cooperation with a roller 86 which is mounted on the arm 87 pivoted at one end on the piston 34 and cooperating at its other end with the stem 88 of the valve-34. Such opening of the valve 34 will free the bell of the suction force of power piston 34 and will also permit the escape of any trapped air, so that the bell 42, upon contacting the table, will remain steadily seated thereon.

The spring 66 of the sealing plunger constitutes the medium through which the sealing pressure is transmitted from the cam 74 to the rod 68 and the pressure arm 58. Con sequently, the sealing pressure which is applied to the sealing head and to the closure ca and which is supported by the vessel, is suitably yielding to accommodate the size tolerances in commercial glassware, without subjecting vessels of slightly excessive height to pressure which would break them. The sealing head 54 itself is vertically adjustable within the sleeve 52,-so that'its zone of operation may be accommodated to vessels of different heights.

- The machine may befed either by hand or byautomatic fecding'mechanism properly timed with the machine operation and, of course, suitable clutch mechanism may be employed for controlling its operative connection with the driving source.

What we claim is 1. A sealing machine comprising, in combination, a bell movable vertically at the sealing station, a sealing device carried on the bell, a presser device operable to actuate the sealin device to seat a closure on a package in the bell, and means for moving the presser device into and out of thezone of movement of the bell.

2. A sealing machine as specified in claim 1 and wherein the presser device is mounted for operative movement about two axes.

3. A sealing machine as specified in claim 1 and including a common actuatingmeans for the bell and presser device.

4. A sealing machine as specified in claim 1 and including means for exhausting air from the bell while it is in its lower limit position and a common actuating means for operating the bell and presser device and controllingthe bell-exhausting operation.

5. A sealing machine comprising, in com bination, a vertically movable bell, a sealing device carried thereon, a presser device for operating the sealing device, means for moving the presser device out of the-path of -movement of the bell, and a yielding pressure means for moving the presser-device into the path of movement of the bell.

6. A sealing -machine comprising, in combination, a movable bell, a sealing device car-.

ried thereon, a presser device for operating the sealing device, an actuating device for operatin the presser device, and means for moving the presser device into and out of operative association with the sealing device and actuating device. 7

7. A sealing machine comprising, in combination, a bell movable vertically at the sealing station, a sealing device associated with the bell, a presser device movable vertically to operate the sealing device and laterally to a position clear of the bells zone of movement, an actuating device, and operating means operable thereby to effect vertical and lateral movements of the presser device inv timed relationship.

.8. A sealing machine comprising, in com I bination,-a bell movable vertically at the sealing station, a sealing device associated with the bell, a presser device movable vertically to operate the sealing device and laterally to a position clear of the bell, an actuating device, and operating means operable thereby to elfect vertical movement of the bell and vertical and lateral movements of the presser device in timed relationship.

. l 9. In a sealmg machine, in c ombmatlon, a

bell movable to'a package receiving position and to a position enclosing the package, a sealing device operably mounted on the bell and movable therewith to said positions, a device for. operation on the sealing device when the bell is in the last mentioned position to aflix a closure on a package, and means for moving said device clear of the zone of movement of the sealing device.

10. A sealing machine comprising, in combination, a stationary table, a vertically movable bell adapted to cover a package on the table,,a sealing device carried on the bell for operation on a package under the latter, a presser device for operating the sealing device, said presser device movable in directions transversely and longitudinally with respect to the bells axis, and means for moving the presser device into and out of operative engagement with the sealing device.

11. A sealing machine comprising, in com- 

